‘On stage all the time’: MoCo’s Founding Farmers chef Caitlin Mateo keeps plates spinning
Meet the woman behind the relentless rhythm of the Potomac restaurant’s kitchen
By
Jacqueline KalilMay 27, 2026 2:00 p.m.
Share
Facebook X ReddIt Email Print Copy URL
MoCo’s Founding Farmers chef Caitlin Mateo stands over a piping-hot waffle press as the yeasted batter to cooks through on its way to becoming the star elements of one of the restaurant’s most popular dishes — and Mateo’s personal comfort food favorite — fried chicken and waffles.
A timer on the press signals that the waffle is ready and Mateo gently frees it, breaking it in half to reveal a crispy outer layer and fluffy interior.
It’s a recent Tuesday morning and the other half of the dish is undergoing its own transformation, the chicken is brined for a full day before being dredged up to 25 times in a specialty flour blend sourced through the North Dakota Farmers Union, Mateo said.
“If you use great ingredients, you’re halfway there,” said Mateo, who also is the director of kitchen operations and development at Farmers Restaurant Group. The Washington, D.C.-based company operates Founding Farmers restaurants across the District, Virginia and Pennsylvania.
- Advertisement -
The emphasis on fresh preparation is labor-intensive, but Mateo, 39, said the kitchen’s success depends on teamwork as much as technique.
“You can only be as good as the people around you,” she said. “We’re always teaching, we’re always learning.”
Long before the first plates leave the kitchen at MoCo’s Founding Farmers in Potomac, Mateo is already hours into her day. She typically wakes up on workdays around 3:45 a.m. at her home in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. While much of the region slumbers, she is pressing her morning coffee, grabbing a pre-packed go-bag, and hitting the gym before starting the 70-minute drive to work.
The predawn ritual, Mateo said, helps clear her head and is essential to surviving — and staying ahead of — the controlled chaos of restaurant life, where no day is the same.
Sponsored
From Gala to Summer Season: Celebrating Two Centennials at Glen Echo Park
Maryland Dog Bite Laws: What Victims Need to Know About Liability and Compensation
Featured Now
“It makes me feel more successful through the day and sets my people up for success, having that clear brain and clear plan for the day,” Mateo said in an interview with Bethesda Today on May 19.
By the time she arrives at work, which is usually around 6 or 7 a.m., the kitchen is slowly coming to life.
“The opening is my favorite time,” she said. “It’s quiet. It’s time to get set up.”
That setup is extensive: Founding Farmers serves breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, with more than 200 items on a prep list that staffers must check off daily. Mateo and her team review inventory, taste sauces, record production needs and prepare fresh-made items including pasta, biscuits and pastries.
According to Jeff Hylden, managing partner at Founding Farmers, the Potomac location serves roughly 2,600 guests per week on average. Weekend brunch alone can draw 500 to 700 guests between 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m., with Mother’s Day service reaching approximately 1,300 guests just for brunch.
- Advertisement -
As service begins, the pace quickly accelerates. Each shift begins with a lineup meeting where staff members are briefed on the day ahead — whether operations are running smoothly or “putting some Band-Aids on things,” as Mateo described it. Breakfast turns hectic, lunch becomes “an hour and a half of pure crazy high-volume,” and dinner requires another reset before evening guests arrive, according to Mateo.
Throughout it all, Mateo stays in constant motion — checking recipes, tasting food, monitoring seasoning levels, and ensuring low ticket times while maintaining high standards of quality.
“As a chef, you’re on stage all the time,” she said.
From anthropology major to culinary school
Mateo did not plan to become a chef, but says she always loved cooking for family and friends — and knew she was good at it.
Mateo said her love of cooking began in her grandmother’s kitchen, where the pair prepared family meals and holiday dinners together. Watching chefs such as Julia Child on television also sparked her interest, showing her that cooking could feel warm, approachable and rooted in caring for others.
She studied anthropology at a college in New Jersey before a friend connected her with the chef-owner of a French fine-dining restaurant in Philadelphia. Despite having no formal kitchen experience, she interviewed to be a pantry chef, accepted the position, and immersed herself in the culinary world.
“Chef taught me everything from how to manage a dish room to breaking down lamb racks and tenderloins,” Mateo said. “I was falling in love with the business.”
She eventually left college and enrolled at Walnut Hill College, formerly The Restaurant School, in Philadelphia, balancing culinary training with hands-on restaurant work. After graduating in 2007, Mateo spent a decade as an executive chef with Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, helping lead restaurant openings across the country and internationally. Before joining Farmers Restaurant Group during the pandemic, she ran her own East Coast culinary consulting firm.
Mateo told Bethesda Today she was drawn to Founding Farmers because the company’s focus on fresh ingredients and sustainable sourcing aligned with her values.
“Everything that they were doing was honest and aligned with me personally,” Mateo said. “I never looked back.”
Even after working 10- to 14-hour shifts, Mateo said the responsibility she feels toward staff and customers is what keeps her motivated.
“It’s in my blood to make sure everybody’s well taken care of and feels great about their shift before I leave for the day,” she said.
Digital Partners
Originally published at Bethesdamagazine